Gillian Margaret Bibby (31 August 1945 – 7 August 2023) was a New Zealand composer, pianist, writer and teacher. Bibby was born in

Lower Hutt Lower Hutt () is a list of cities in New Zealand, city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Administered by the Hutt City Council, it is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington#Wellington metropolitan area, Wellington metropoli ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

on 31 August 1945, the daughter of the Reverend Lawrence Vincent Bibby and Margaret Valerie Bibby (née Davidson). She studied at the

University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...

and

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington (), also known by its shorter names "VUW" or "Vic", is a public university, public research university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of New Zealand Parliament, Parliament, and w ...

with

Douglas Lilburn Douglas Gordon Lilburn (2 November 19156 June 2001) was a New Zealand composer. Early life Lilburn was born in Whanganui and spent his early years on the family sheep farm in the upper Turakina River valley at Drysdale. He attended Waitaki ...

. She continued her studies in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

and

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

with

Aloys Kontarsky Aloys (14 May 1931 – 22 August 2017) and Alfons (9 October 1932 – 5 May 2010) Kontarsky were German duo-pianist brothers who were associated with a number of important world premieres of contemporary works. They had an international reputati ...

Mauricio Kagel Mauricio Raúl Kagel (; 24 December 1931 – 18 September 2008) was an Argentine-German composer and academic teacher. Life and career Early life and education Mauricio Raúl Kagel was born on 24 December 1931 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, into an ...

and

Karlheinz Stockhausen Karlheinz Stockhausen (; 22 August 1928 – 5 December 2007) was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. He is known for his groun ...

. In 1976, Bibby returned to New Zealand to take up a two year

Mozart Fellowship The Mozart Fellowship is a composer residency attached to the Music Department of the University of Otago, one of the five Arts Fellowships at the university. It is the oldest full-time composition residency in New Zealand, and is currently the on ...

at the University of Otago in Dunedin. Bibby relocated to Wellington in 1978 and worked as a pianist, composer, music teacher and university lecturer. Bibby was active in several music-related organisations, serving as president and chair, and founded the CHAMPS Trust to offer opportunities for youth in music. She was awarded the Philip Neill prize in composition, the Kranichsteiner prize in composition and the

Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it the ...

prize for new music. In the

2020 New Year Honours The 2020 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebratio ...

, Bibby was appointed a

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ...

, for services to music and music education. Bibby died in

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

on 7 August 2023, at the age of 77.

Works

Selected works include: *''11 Characters in Search of a Composer'' for orchestra or military band *''Aie! A Conversation Piece'' for tape *''Musik für drei Hörer'' (Music for 3 Listeners) for clavichord, voice, and percussion *''Sanctuary of Spirits'', children's opera *''The Beasts'', song cycle of 6 songs and 5 snatches *''You can't kiss the Tummy of a Caged Lion: Pavane pour un genre defunt'' for voices and chamber ensemble Her music has been recorded and issued on CD, including: *''Life, Love and Death'' *''The Songs of the Morning: a story of music in early Antarctica'' *''Douglas Lilburn: Salutes to Poet''

References

External links

*
The Musical Legacy of Gillian Bibby MNZM
Wellington City Libraries TE MATAPIHI KI TE AO NUI {{DEFAULTSORT:Bibby, Gillian 1945 births 2023 deaths 20th-century New Zealand classical composers 20th-century New Zealand women composers 21st-century New Zealand classical composers 21st-century New Zealand women composers Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit 20th-century New Zealand composers New Zealand classical pianists People from Lower Hutt University of Otago alumni Victoria University of Wellington alumni New Zealand women classical composers New Zealand women classical pianists New Zealand music educators New Zealand women music educators